A galaxy of sci-fi stars, but not as we know them

By
Natalie Bochenski

Nov. 11, 2012, 12:15 p.m.

THEY came in their hundreds and thousands; the nerds, the geeks and the fans. Supanova is celebrating its 10th festival of all things pop culture, and the only dampener on the celebration on Saturday was the drizzle over Brisbane's RNA showgrounds.

THEY came in their hundreds and thousands; the nerds, the geeks and the fans. Supanova is celebrating its 10th festival of all things pop culture, and the only dampener on the celebration on Saturday was the drizzle over Brisbane's RNA showgrounds.

But the rain was a blessing for many so-called ''cosplayers'', keeping temperatures down and making life much more bearable for those in elaborate costumes.

In one corner were Batman and Catwoman, posing for pictures not far from a trio of Green Lanterns.

Near another pavilion, Doc Brown chatted to Marty McFly, while Han Solo and Princess Leia pushed around a baby Ewok in a stroller.

And over in a queue to see one of the guest stars, Mario and Luigi from Super Mario Brothers stood next to Spartan King Leonidas from 300 (no chest padding required).

Scott Driscoll, who comes to Supanova every year, was part of a trio of ''Steampunk Ghostbusters'', a vintage take on the popular 1980s Ghostbusters movie.

''One of our members, Matt, is an engineer, and designed our backpacks,'' said Mr Driscoll. The brass and wood proton packs were impressive pieces of kit; one of them even pumped and released steam.

It showed the dedication cosplayers give to detail. Mr Driscoll said there were many reasons people dressed up for fan events, but the main one was the sense of community.

''It's like their football club, or bridge club, or whatever. There's a feeling you're with family and friends at Supanova.''

Celebrity drawcards this year included Tom Felton, Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies; and Felicia Day, whose web series The Guild has a cult following.

Queues to get their autographs and photographs stretched out of the pavilion. Supanova continues on Sunday.